9.10.11

Chinese Tea Eggs

I first ran into tea eggs about a year ago, at my local bubble tea place (bubble tea-my designated guilty pleasure. I've had every single flavor from the forty at my place.) They're these super cool hard boiled eggs that are then lightly cracked and steeped overnight in an odd tea/soy sauce mixture.

What comes out is this marbled, kaleidoscopic creation that is utterly delicious. Who knew that black tea mixed with copious amounts of star anise and soy sauce could create the perfect flavor on hard boiled eggs?

They're really not hard to make at home, and super rewarding, especially for a party of some sort, because you can make huge batches very easily. It's just a lot of waiting. The longer you let the eggs steep in the tea solution, the darker their lines get and the more flavorful they become. It's worth it, and there's no heat involved. Just start them right before you go to sleep, and drain them in the morning.

Of course, you don't have to let it stay that long. Anything over four hours is enough. Then, I suggest you flag down a person uninitiated in the matter of tea eggs, and ask them to peel one open. The look of wonder (and hunger) should be more than enough motivation to boil up a pot.